This invention relates to an improved condenser particularly of the type used in standard experimentation in laboratories where a reaction is encouraged to proceed by refluxing a liquid solvent for the reaction constituents during a chemical process requiring heat. Such condensers are usually formed with a central tube through which the hot reaction liquors surge and fluctuate, which tube is surrounded by a jacket for the circulation of a cooling liquid. The lower end of the central tube terminates in a stem which communicates with the hot liquids through a ground glass connection or sometimes a rubber or cork stopper situated in the mouth of the reaction flask.
The central tube, which is typically made of glass or Pyrex, is commonly curvilinear, for example, helical, in configuration. The helical configuration is an efficient design for the refluxing of fairly low boiling liquids but can be problematical, i.e., lead to flooding, when the experimentation requires the blowing of a gas through the column, such as when argon or nitrogen is used to maintain an inert atmosphere. Flooding occurs when the condensed liquid fills the upper part of the column resulting in the buildup of gas pressure which blows the liquid through the open top of the column. The problem of flooding can be alleviated by using a central tube which comprises a series of bulbous portions or sections in fluid communication with each other. The diameter of the bulbous sections is sufficiently large to prevent their filling up with condensed liquid and causing the pressure buildup which results in flooding. However, this configuration is less efficient for condensing purposes and is, therefore, by itself not always suitable for the rapid refluxing of a low boiling solvent.